SRF Optimiser
Project Background
SRF Optimiser is a web-based decision support tool that calculates GHG emissions, energy consumption and costs associated with a company’s road freight transport operation. It helps organisations in road freight transport in developing their decarbonisation strategy by modelling effects of 29 carbon-reducing measures, by assessing cost, carbon and energy implications of a range of technological measures that can be applied to a transport fleet.
Research Questions
- Identify a range of decarbonisation measures that can reduce cost and carbon emissions from the UK road freight transport operations
- Evaluate economic and environmental impact of decarbonisation measures on a company’s road freight transport operations
Methods
The model calculates carbon emissions using fuel-based approach and prioritises carbon-reducing measures based on net present value. SRF Optimiser compares a company’s current carbon footprint with the predicted future footprint after a number of measures have been applied. The model is developed in Java and data provided by user is stored in a secured database at the Heriot-Watt University. It uses complex algorithms to analyse the data and present the results in graphical, tabular and reporting forms.